3rd Grade - Gateway 2

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics (or, for grades 6-8, topics and/or themes) to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

Most modules have a topic which is stated by the name of the module and clearly outlined in the section titled, “Building Knowledge Networks.” Within each module, students interact with anchor texts, supporting texts, daily tasks, and writing texts designed to grow the students’ understanding of the unit’s topic.

Examples include:

• In Module 3, students read various texts to build their expertise on the topic of America. Texts in this module include: The U.S. Constitution by Norman Pearl, The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoli, and Why is the Statue of Liberty Green? by Martin E.H. Rustad. 
• In Module 5, students read various texts about teamwork. Texts include: Soccer Shootout by Jake Maxxos, Running Rivals by Jake Maddox, and Brothers at Bat by Audrey Vernick. 
• In Module 6, students read about behaviors that help animals survive. Texts in this module include: This is your Life Cycle by Heather Lynn Miller, Octopus Escapes Again by Laurie Ellen Angus, and T.J. The Siberian Tiger by Heather Gatley. 
• In Module 8, students read about the topic of great inventions. Students grow in their knowledge about inventors and important inventions. Texts in this module include: Timelines Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives by Gene Barretta, A Bumpy Ride by Sharon Katz Cooper and Rachel Young and Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty. 
• In Module 9, students read about the topic of food sources as they learn about the different sources of food. Texts in this module include:  How Did That Get in my Lunchbox? The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth, How do you Raise a Raisin?  by Pam Munoz Ryan, and It’s Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden by George Ancona. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

Throughout Modules 1-10, students interact with the texts to answer questions during Targeted Close Reads, Reads for Understanding, Collaborative Discussions, independent work using graphic organizers, and responding to questions in writing that include finding evidence in the text. In Modules 11-12, students complete Genre Studies, where they are asked to further analyze previously read texts. 

Specific examples of coherently sequenced questions and tasks about language include:

• In Module 7, Lesson 6, after reading One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul, students are asked, "What is mbuba?" and "How do the illustrations and the context clues help you figure out what the word means?". Then students are asked, "Why does the author use the word mbuba?". 
• In Module 12, Lesson 12, after rereading the poems “Jokes” and “Riddles” from In the Land of Words by Eloise Greenfield, students are asked to describe the tone and mood of the poems. Then students identify what words and phrases the author chose to convey the tone and to make the poem more interesting. 

Specific examples of coherently sequenced questions and tasks about key ideas include:

• In Module 3, Lesson 11, after reading Why is the Statue of Liberty Green? by Martha E.H. Rustad, students are asked, "What facts does Mrs. Bolt’s riddle give about the Statue of Liberty?" and "What information can you learn about the Statue of Liberty from the illustration on page 272?".
• In Module 8, Lesson 5, after reading the poem “Rosie Revere, Engineer” by Andrea Beaty, students are asked, "What was Rosie’s impact on her classmates?", "What is a perfect failure?", and "Why the idea of a perfect failure is an important theme in a story about an inventor?". 
• In Module 10, Lesson 1, after reading Why we Share Stories (no author), students describe how the repeated words in paragraph 2 give clues to the central idea and then students state the central idea of the whole text in one sentence. 

Specific examples of coherently sequenced questions and tasks about details include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 1, after reading the story Zach Jumps In! (no author), students are asked, "Who the story is about?", "Who is the narrator?", "Is Zach someone to admire?", and "Why?". 
• In Module 9, Lesson 1, students read Great Ideas from Great Parents (unknown author).  Students are asked, "Who is the author trying to influence?", "What is the author’s claim?", "What details does the author include to show she is qualified to make this claim?", and "What reasons does the author give to support her claim?". 

Specific examples of coherently sequenced questions and tasks about craft include:

• In Module 3, Lesson 8, after reading The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, students are asked, 'Why does the author include an image to describe Baltimore?" and "What does the author compare to the sounds of bombs bursting and rockets flashing?". Students are also asked, "Why does the author make that comparison?". 
• In Module 7, Lesson 5, students read Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Then they are asked, "Who is the narrator?", "Is it told in first-person or third-person?", and "How do you know?". 

Specific examples of coherently sequenced questions and tasks about structure include:

• In Module 2, Lesson 7, after reading the poem “Adventures with Words” by poets Laura Purdie Salas, Casie Hermansson, and Eloise Greenfield, students are asked, "What is unusual about the first letter in each line?" and "What does the structure help you to know?". Students are also asked, "What do you notice about the end of lines 1, 2, and 5?" and "Why does the poet use rhyme in the poem?". 
• In Module 11, Lesson 4, after rereading page 82 of T.J. The Siberian Tiger Club by Ann Whitehead Nagda and Cindy Bickel, students describe the text structure on the page, how they can identify the text structure, and if the text structure was effective. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

In the Modules, students are given a Knowledge Map, where they work with the teacher to create a concept map about the topic of study. After each text, students return to the Knowledge Map and complete it with additional information to help them build knowledge and answer the essential question. 

Examples of text-dependent questions that help students analyze knowledge and ideas include:

• In Module 2, Lesson 2, the teacher reads aloud the text “Wordy Bird” (no author) and asks questions while reading to build knowledge. Questions include:  “What kind of sounds can birds imitate?” and “Why are scientists interested in how birds use words?”. 
• In Module 3, students read several texts to analyze important U.S. documents and symbols. In Lesson 2, students read The U.S. Constitution by Norman Pearl and are asked questions such as, “Why do you think the framers of the Constitution included the Preamble?” and “How would you synthesize the information about the Preamble into what you already know?”. 
• In Module 6, Lesson 6, students read the fictional story, Octopus Escapes Again! by Laurie Ellen Angus and are asked “What ability of real-life octopuses allows Octopus to perform a ‘clever trip?’”. Students are also asked, “How is octopus ink like water shot from the octopus siphon?", "How are the two different?”, “What kinds of fish does the octopus want to eat?", and "Which animals want to eat an octopus?”. 
• In Module 7, Lessons 8-10, students read the narrative nonfiction text, Energy Island and are asked questions to build knowledge in their myBook.  Some examples are as follows:  “Compare the way the people of Samso used energy at the beginning of Energy Island with how they met their energy goals after the storm. What changed?”. 
• In Module 8, Lesson 2, after the teacher reads aloud “Some of the Greatest Inventions” (unknown author), students are asked, “Was Thomas Edison the first inventor to try making an electric light bulb?", "What happened with Alexander Graham Bell’s first attempts at a telephone?”, and “What sequence of three steps led to the invention of the television?”. 
• In Module 9, Lesson 4, after reading How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? by Chris Buttersworth, students are asked several questions to build knowledge about food. Questions include, “Why might summer be the best time for tomatoes to grow?” and “How is the way the author and illustrator describe the process of growing and picking tomatoes different from how they felt about how cheese is made?”. 

Students are also asked to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across multiple texts. Some examples include:

• In Module 3, Lesson 10, after reading The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and Why We Celebrate the Fourth of July by FreeSchool, students compare how the American Flag and the Fourth of July are different ways to represent America. Students are asked the question, “How do historic places, documents, and symbols represent our nation?”.
• In Module 4, Lesson 2, students revisit the video, “Auditions”, the text, That’s Entertainment!, and the text, The Lion King’s Friend (no author).  Then they are asked questions to build knowledge across the texts. Students are asked, “What do you know now about plays and how they are performed that you didn't know before?” and “How is the information in the video about auditions, the informational text “That’s Entertainment!”, and the selection the Lion King’s Friend the same and different?”.
• In Module 5, students learn about sports and working together. In Lesson 9, after reading Running Rivals by Jake Maddox,, students are asked, “In what way is Amy’s relationship with Madison similar to Berk’s relationship with Ryan in Soccer Shootout (also by Jake Maddox)?”. 
• In Module 8, Lesson 5, students think about the qualities of Thomas Edison's Inventions great in Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives by Gene Barretta.  Then they add that information to the Knowledge Map about the qualities of a good invention. Students repeat this in Lesson 10 with the texts, Rosie Rivere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and The Marvelous Thing That came from a Spring (no author). 
• In Module 10, Lesson 2, after watching the video, Tortoise and the Hare and reading “Why we Share Stories” (no author), the students reflect on how the information in the text and video are the same and different. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. 

Throughout the Grade 3 materials, students learn vocabulary that is found within the module texts, as well as strategies to determine the meaning of unknown words not explicitly taught. Direct word instruction includes students learning both general academic and domain-specific words using consistent routines and Vocabulary Cards. Instruction focuses on word pronunciation, word meaning, and context. Students also engage in word-learning strategies that include Vocabulary Strategy and Generative Vocabulary lessons. These lessons are designed to help students see the connections between words, deepen their understanding, and provide students with tools that will help them unlock the meaning of unknown words. In the Genre Study Modules (11 & 12), there is no direct vocabulary instruction; however, a list of instructional vocabulary words and definitions are included at the beginning of the week in the Teacher's Guide. The guide starts to encourage students to use these words in their speaking and writing during the week. 

Students engage with a vocabulary routine to learn academic vocabulary words prior to reading a module text. Teachers read aloud each word, and the students repeat it. Then students read and discuss each word’s student-friendly definition. The teacher points out an example of the word, and students suggest other examples. In Step 2 of this routine, students discuss questions and prompts using the vocabulary words. In Step 3, students work independently to complete activities and prompts on Vocabulary Cards. Students Turn-and-Talk with a partner to discuss the words. Some specific examples include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 2, students learn the words: clash, winking, suggest, scrunches, mushy, usual, bilingual, and mismatched from the text, Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match by Monica Brown. 
• In Module 4, Lesson 2, students learn the words: genuine, saga, and whirled from the text, The Saga of Pecos Bill by Anthony D. Fredericks. In Step 3, students create sentences using these words and share the sentences with a group. 
• In Module 7, Lesson 2, students learn the words: scarce, greenhouses, pollution, crowded, and vats from the text, Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Students discuss questions such as, “If trees are scarce in a park, is the park likely to be shady and cool?” and “Why are people unlikely to live in greenhouses?” as a way to interact with the words. 
• In Module 10, Lesson 3, students review the words lagoon, garlands, belched, cinders, appease, and barren from Lesson 2. In pairs, students create four-square maps of each word that includes the word, a picture that represents the word, the meaning of the word, and a sentence using the word. 

In addition to learning specific words that are found in the texts, students learn vocabulary strategies to apply to unknown words. The routine for these lessons is a three-step process. In Step 1, there is a discussion of the meaning of the skill or affix and how to apply the skill or affix. In Step 2, students engage in guided practice by determining the meaning of other words using the taught skill or affix. In Step 3, students apply the skill by completing an independent practice. For example, students write sentences using the words and share sentences with their partners. At times, students also review previous affixes. Specific examples include:

• In Module 2, Lesson 10, students learn the prefix non-. Students also review the prefixes mis- and un-. Students practice using these words by adding the prefixes and defining them with adjectives, smiling and furry and engaging in independent practice with the words, pleasant and aware. 
• In Module 3, Lesson 12, students participate in a lesson about synonyms and antonyms. In Step 2, students identify synonyms or antonyms of underlined words in sentences. In Step 3, students write synonyms or antonyms of given words in the text, Why is the Statue of Liberty Green? by Martha E.H. Rustad. 
• In Module 5, Lesson 3, students participate in a Vocabulary Strategy lesson about homophones and homographs. Students apply the strategy in Step 3 by defining homophones and homographs, such as bat/bat, eight/ate, and ball/bawl in the text, Soccer Shootout by Jake Maddox . 
• In Module 8, Lesson 10, students engage in a Generative Vocabulary lesson with the prefix ex-. Students are shown the words, ex-teacher, ex-employee,  and ex-mechanic to discuss the words based on the students’ understanding of the prefix. 
• In Module 9, Lesson 12, students engage in a Vocabulary Strategy lesson on using a dictionary or glossary. Students apply the strategy with a partner, by looking at sentences with different vocabulary words and using a dictionary to define the word. 

Vocabulary review is also incorporated throughout the year. An example of this is Module 6, Lesson 5. Students review some of the academic vocabulary learned throughout the school year. They complete an activity based on the words from Module 5 including competition, technical, deflected and review the meaning and use the words in sentences. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials support students’ increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year.

Students have many opportunities to write during literacy instruction. Following each main text in their myBooks, students respond to their reading through a writing assignment about the reading task. For each of these tasks, students are provided with planning space, a graphic organizer, and reminders to use text evidence. These writing tasks include a variety of text types. In addition, at the end of each module, students complete a performance-based writing task based on the module’s essential question. Many of these prompts ask students to synthesize at least two texts in the module. Students use graphic organizers to plan, draft, edit, and revise their writing before finishing the assignment. Finally, in Writing Workshop, students are explicitly taught the writing process for narrative, informational, and opinion writing. Each of these modules include explicit modeling and instruction for each stage of the writing process. Each module is associated with a focal text, and students write daily and receive regular conferences (with teachers and peers) to improve their writing. For most modules, the students focus on a particular writing mode and explore it through all aspects of writing instruction, which further helps students achieve grade-level proficiency in writing. 

Specific examples of writing instruction prompts in myBook include:

• In Module 2, Lesson 7, students write a poem that shows the reader which poem in the text, Adventures with Words by poets Laura Purdie Salas, Casie Hermansson, and Eloise Greenfield, they liked best. 
• In Module 3, Lesson 14, students write an opinion letter to the teacher in the story, Why is the Statue of Liberty Green? by Martha E.H. Rustand. In the letter, students state whether or not the class should take another trip back to the Statue of Liberty in order to go to her crown. 
• In Module 5, Lesson 8, students write a memoir chapter about  Amy’s (the main character) relationship with Madison from the text, Running Rivals by Jake Maddox. 
• In Module 7, Lesson 5, students write their own point of view of farmer, Will Allen, after reading the biography, Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. 
• In Module 8, Lesson 5, after reading Timeless Thomas by Gene Barretta, students write a friendly letter to the author and illustrator, sharing how his drawings added to their understanding of Edison’s inventions. 
• In Module 10, Lesson 12, students write a trickster tale using characters from Company Mono and Comay Jicotea retold by Joe Hayes. 

Performance tasks require students to apply what they have learned about the writing process in order to demonstrate their understanding of the essential questions and key knowledge and skills in each module. Some examples of performance tasks that provide instruction in writing include:

• In Module 1, students write about qualities that make each character someone to remember, and the students write a personal narrative about a time when a story character gave them an idea about how to solve a problem. 
• In Module 4, students write a story about the way a character from the module was able to solve a conflict or a problem. The teacher directs students to introduce the character, tell about the events, and show how the character reacts to events. 
• In Module 6, students write an article about behaviors that help animals survive. 
• In Module 7, students think about information they learned about how a person can make an impact in their community, and then they write a report using evidence from the texts to explain how people can impact their communities. 
• In Module 10, students write a story like a storyteller of long ago. This relates to the myBook task of writing a trickster tale. 

In Writing Workshop, students engage in lessons that focus on process-based writing to generate ideas, organize drafts, revise and edit, and then publish and share. Students learn about the characteristics of narrative, informational, and opinion writing and work on one piece of writing throughout all three weeks of a module. Specific examples of writing instruction and prompts in Writing Workshop include:

• In Module 1, students use the text, Weslandia by Paul Fleischman to write a personal narrative. Students draft, edit, and revise with a focus on nouns and combining ideas to make them more clear before publishing their writing. 
• In Module 3, students write a descriptive essay about a place in which they are familiar. Students learn to draft a central idea with sensory words. . 
• In Module 6, students write an expository essay about an animal who uses special skills to live outside. 
• In Module 8, students complete a research report using the text, Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta. Students participate in the writing process and share their reports. 
• In Module 10, students write an imaginative story that tells what happens to characters and what characters do as a result. 

During the Genre Study Modules (Module 11 & 12), students work on a week long writing assignment in the genre in which they are reading. Examples include:

• In Module 11, Lessons 1-5, students learn about informational writing and write and present either a magazine article or news report by following the steps of the writing process. 
• In Module 12, Lessons 6-10, students learn about the characteristics of poetry and write and present either a song or a collection of concrete poems.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

Each module in Grade 3 contains an Inquiry and Research Project. These projects require students to work for an extended period of time to solve a problem, answer a question, or share information. Inquiry and Research Projects align to the big idea in the module and students are encouraged to draw from the texts read during the module. Each Inquiry and Research Project follows three steps, with each step taking place during a different week of the module. During Week 1, the project is launched. Students collaborate to generate research questions and develop a research plan. Students also research source materials available including books, magazines, videos, and online sources. During Week 2, students write and create their project. Students draft and revise their work, and a variety of materials are provided to complete the project including art supplies and digital materials. During Week 3, students present and reflect. Students practice their presentation, share their final product with an audience, assess their work, and celebrate their three-week project. In the Guiding Principles and Strategies Resource section, teachers are provided with guidance for best practices to facilitate Inquiry and Research Projects. Some of these best practices include selecting an outside audience for Week 3, allowing time for revision, and modeling of the process of finding and recording information.

Specific examples of research projects found throughout the year include:

• In Module 1, students read a variety of texts and research to create a preparedness campaign. Students create posters to teach others how to prepare an emergency kit and make safety plans. In Week 1, students analyze safety materials. In Week 2, students narrow their focus and create a list of items that should be included in a preparedness kit and a brief explanation of the inclusion. Students also create their poster that shows the items in the kit. In Week 3, students present their campaign.
• In Module 2, students work in groups to research types of poetry and create a book that demonstrates different poetic structures and rhyming patterns. In Week 1, students select two poem types and analyze the structure and rhyming pattern so they can duplicate it for the class poetry book. In Week 2, students select two types of poems to be included in the book and write an explanation of the structure and rhyming patterns. In Week 3, students present their poetry book and reflect on the process. 
• In Module 3, students research U.S. symbols and documents in order to create a national symbol pamphlet. Students search official U.S. symbols, such as the bald eagle, national anthem, and the U.S. Seal and summarize their findings in a pamphlet. Students complete the research independently and then share it with a group. 
• In Module 4, students work in groups to research a traditional story. They then write the story and perform it as a play. 
• In Module 5, students work in groups to collaborate to generate ideas, research, complete, and present an inquiry-based project based on an invented team sport or game. Students summarize their research with a group before coming to a consensus on the team sport or game they will create, develop, and test. Students present in small groups during Week 3. 
• In Module 6, students research behaviors of an animal for a class wildlife blog. Students brainstorm questions they want to answer before beginning research. Students create the blog and compile it in small groups before sharing it with the whole class. 
• In Module 7, students read a variety of texts and research to hold a “Person of the Year” nomination ceremony. Students research different people who have made a difference in their local or global community and present information about each candidate in a multimedia presentation. Students use the text, Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, to discuss how Farmer Will Allen would qualify for an award before beginning their project. 
• In Module 8 students work in groups to research how famous inventors worked and then create a new invention. In Week 1, students research inventors and take notes about the process each inventor used to create and test his or her invention. In Week 2, students use the information they gathered to create their own plan for an invention. They draft a list of steps they will take as they create their invention and write a summary of the inventors they studied and their similarities and differences. 
• In Module 9, students read a variety of texts to create a healthy lunch menu and research the origins of the food on their menu. Students begin individually researching one item from the menu. During Week 2, students work together to take their individual summaries and use them to create a report. They also create a  poster that illustrates their lunch menu and create a map that shows the location of each item on their lunch menu is produced. In Week 3, students present their report and poster to the class. 
• In Module 10, students read texts to build knowledge about passing stories down through generations. Students research Anansi stories and compose one of their own. Students conduct research to discover who Anansi is and read several Anansi stories before they work together to write and perform their own Anansi story. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

In the Guiding Principles and Strategies Resource section, there is an area called Supporting Reading Independence. In this section, teachers are provided with resources and strategies to help students become independent and enthusiastic readers both in the classroom and at home. There is also information regarding organization of a classroom reading center, including procedures for students to self select books, set individual reading goals, and constructing responses to reading. In addition, the Family and Community section provides information on independent reading. Students complete independent reading during literacy centers while the teacher is meeting with small groups of students. Students self-select books and record progress on a reading log. There is information on ways to promote independent reading at home and ways to keep track of texts students read. In Modules 11 and 12, students read independently in the genre focus for the book. 

Some of the specific suggestions that the program provides for independent reading in the classroom include:

• Organizing the Classroom Reading Center, introducing new books in the library throughout the year, and creating a diverse library that reflects the diversity of the classroom. The reading center should be designed in a way that students read independently and also discuss books with peers. Reading logs, reading nonfiction printables, and pencils and markers should also be found in the reading center.
• Teaching students to self select books by modeling choosing books and having students conduct short book talks to recommend books to their classmates.
• Teaching students to set goals and respond to reading by increasing the amount of time gradually that students read throughout the year, encouraging students to set a goal for the time they will spend on reading they plan to do, and having students create a response journal to document their independent reading books. 
• During literacy centers, students can self select or continue reading an independent reading book, keep track of progress by using a reading log, and utilize the independent reading printable to keep track of nonfiction key ideas. The reading log includes title, genre, date, time spent, pages read, as well as a summary or answer to a discussion question. 

Some of the specific suggestions that the program provides for independent reading at home include:

• Demonstrating to families how to be a fluent reader and how to interact with children while reading aloud to them. It is encouraged that this happens once a week and that parents also hear children read to them. The teacher should also provide book ideas and coach parents on how to consider children’s interests when selecting a text.
• Encouraging families to dedicate time at least once per week to read with their children, sending home a reading log so students can record time spent reading outside of the classroom, and providing strategies for text selection, such as reading a page and seeing if they read five or more words incorrectly and choosing a different book.
• Sharing a summer reading list with suggestions of titles across a variety of genres for students to read independently and with their families. The teacher should also send home a list of questions families should ask students before, during, and after reading. 
• Suggesting that families participate in a book club or other book events that will spark students’ interest in topics.